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Leading up to Regal Entertainment Group's announcement of its first-quarter earnings on Thursday, April 24, 2014, analysts have become more bullish as expectations have improved over the past month from 18 cents per share to the current projection of earnings of 20 cents per share.

Over the past three months, the consensus estimate has risen from 17 cents. Analysts are expecting earnings of $1.13 per share for the fiscal year. Revenue is projected to be $716.4 million for the quarter, 11% above the year-earlier total of $642.8 million. For the year, revenue is projected to come in at $3.18 billion.

Revenue rose in the last two quarters. In the fourth quarter, revenue increased 15% to $739.9 million from the year earlier quarter. In the third quarter, the figure rose 17%.

The company has been profitable for the last eight quarters, and for the last four, profit has risen year-over-year by an average of 41%. The largest gain for the company was seen in the third quarter, when net income swelled by more than threefold.

Regal Entertainment Group operates a geographically diverse circuit of movie theaters in the United States. Carmike Cinemas, also in the motion pictures industry, will report earnings on Monday, May 5, 2014. Analysts are expecting a loss of three cents per share for Carmike Cinemas, a wider loss than last year's loss of 20 cents per share. Other companies in the motion pictures industry with upcoming earnings release dates include: Cinemark Holdings and Reading International.